Tired
by bobbyneko
Summary: A story in which Hitsugaya gets tired of paperwork, Kira gets tired of sake, Matsumoto gets tired of Hinamori, and Hinamori...just gets tired. Pairings:hxh kxm FINISHED
1. Drinking With Kira

wow, my second fanfic ever. im so happy. --;  
Anyways this firstchapter is mostly from rangiku's pov. Pairings i'm really not sure but the entire thing will take place mostly around hinamori, hitsugaya, matsumoto, and kira  
NOTE: there are **spoilers!** for up through chapter 184 in the manga. so if your just keeping up with the anime and forsaking the manga i suggest you dont read this.

so yeah, hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Tired **

It was raining again, as it had been almost constantly for the past two weeks since the three traitorous captains had left Soul Society: Tousen-taichou, Ichimaru-taichou, and most surprisingly, Aizen-taichou. Captain Aizen was a gentle, honest and wise captain, or so it seemed to all of the shinigami. To those who knew him, it was almost impossible to accept that their friend would commit crimes as horrible as wiping out the central 46 chamber members, attempting murder on his own lieutenant and the captain of 10th squadron, and openly battle with lieutenant Renji and the orange-haired drifter in order to obtain a hougyouku from Kuchiki Rukia's body. Tousen and Ichimaru's obedience to his will was almost just as shocking (not as much as Ichimaru as Touzen obviously).

One person in particular, Hinamori Momo, had extreme difficulty adjusting to these changes. Her body became ill and weak after being removed from critical condition a few days ago. The Healers of 4th squad said that it was probably due to mental stress over the past couple of weeks. The shock of discovering her beloved captain's body after having just spent the night in his company, the pain, frustration, and grief of not knowing who had committed the horrid deed, just to discover that he was not only alive, but quite well indeed. The momentary hope and relief she felt…she walked into his embrace, finally believing that everything was going to be alright because Aizen-taichou was there, and then……it was a sad wonder if the girl would ever be the same again.

On that particular rainy night, however, she was oblivious to all these things as she laid in an almost peaceful slumber, unaware of a figure that faithfully watched over her.

"Aizen-sama," she whispered in her sleep.

* * *

_Gin…where have you gone?_

Her mind was slowly brought out of a thoughtful slumber at the sound of footsteps entering the office.

"Are you awake yet?" inquired the voice belonging to those footsteps.

"Hmph," one light-blue eye peeked out lazily under a heavy lid, the beautiful blonde smirked, "Welcome back taichou."

The boy captain grunted and sat at his desk.

"How was she?" Rangiku asked while rubbing her eyes of sleep.

"The same." Hitsugaya paused, then nonchalantly pulled out a small stack of papers from his desk. Frowning, he took out his pen and began to write.

Silence ensued.

"Well then," his lieutenant stood up and stretched, "Anymore documents you'd like me to do captain?"

"These are the last ones," he grumbled, "for now."

Matsumoto glanced at her captain. He looked very tired, small bags had formed under his eyes. Unfortunately that didn't trouble her as much as the other thing, "You mean you finished them_ all_ by yourself?" she asked, rather annoyed.

"Whatever," he scoffed, "don't you have anything else you could do? Besides sleep that is…"

"Don't you have anything else you could do? Besides check on Hinamori-san of course," she retorted back.

"Yeah, documents. Speaking of which, I'd like to finish them in peace without your snoring in here. So why don't you go make some rounds or something."

"I don't sno-"

"Go on now, you don't want to be late" he interrupted, shooing his lieutenant away with his hand.

Matsumoto sighed, "Late for what?" she muttered under her breath as she left the office.

Once outside she began to meander her way, almost automatically, towards the 3rd squad division area.

It wasn't the first time she'd been shooed away by her captain. Histugaya-taichou had been in a rather foul mood lately, though one probably wouldn't be able to tell from the bored-like scowl he always wore on his face.

'_Hmm…a constant scowl, kinda like that orange-haired kid Kuchiki-san is so fond of,_' she smiled at the thought of those two trouble-makers.

After she walked around 3rd division for awhile, Rangiku found a secluded corner and laid her head up back against the wall and tried to rest her eyes for a moment.

"Oi! Matsumoto-san! What are you doing here?"

"Ohayou Kira." Matsumoto replied without opening her eyes.

"Ohayou? Matsumoto-san it's already afternoon." The blond-haired man laughed.

The woman tilted her head to look at the sun, "Oh, so it is."

"Anyways, I happen to have just finished my duties for today, and well, since _you_ don't seem to have anything to do…" Kira held up a bottle of sake and grinned.

Rangiku sighed dramatically, "I guess."

They made their way over to a nearby railing. Kira pulled out two small cups and began to pour in the sake.

"But seriously Matsumoto-san, what _are _you doing out here at this time of day?" He asked, offering her a cup.

The female lieutenant thanked him and accepted it, "Oh no reason, just thought I'd take a midday stroll in the park."

"Glad to hear you have it so easy, we've been piled with repairs and reports in our division."

"Hm? I thought you said you were finished with all your work today."

"Actually I'm just on a small break, I have more I need to do later tonight."

"You just wanted an excuse to get drunk again is that it?"

Kira let out a small laugh, "I really am glad that we ran in to each other today, I've meaning to talk to you for a while now."

"Is that so?" _Probably about Hinamori-san,_ Matsumoto figured as she sipped her sake.

"Do you think …" Kira started, "that Hinamori-kun will be alright?"

Matsumoto grinned in her head. "I don't know. She seemed to be a pretty strong girl, until the whole Aizen incident. Makes me wonder how she became lieutenant in the first place."

"Don't say that!" Kira scolded, "You know it's not her fault she acted the way she did. She was just a pawn in Aizen's scheme."

Matsumoto shrugged, "Hey, I was just sayin'."

"No I understand. Gin was involved and you didn't overreact that way." Kira stared into his cup of sake.

"Neither did you. Then again…"

"Just what are you trying to say?"

"Absolutely nothing," Rangiku laughed and patted him on the back.

"Ya think they'll come back any time soon?" Kira asked. He was starting to get a little red in the face as he poured himself his fourth cup.

"Who?" Matsumoto eyed the sake jug warily.

"Gin. Aizen. Tousen. Any of those bastards."

"Hmph, probably, one day. Hey share some o'that will ya?"

"You know, Aizen seemed to be pretty interested in those weird drifters." Kira noted, handing over the jug.

"Hey! You drank all of it!" Rangiku complained as she held the bottle upside down, trying to get every last drop in her cup.

"I have a lot more at my place."

"As do mine." She finally gave up and set the empty bottle down on the railing.

"Your place or mine?"

"Yours, it's closer. So what were you saying about the ryoka?" she leaned back on the railing, Kira followed suit but leaned forward instead.

"Nah I was just thinking, what if Aizen showed up in the living world first? I mean, we'd be in a lot of trouble then if you think about it."

"Who cares, If they did we'd just go over and beat the shit outta Gin over there."

"I said Aizen."

"Whatever." The female began to stretch but stopped as her elbow hit the sake jug.

"Oops," she said as it shattered.

"Don't worry, I'll have that Yamada kid from fourth squad clean it up. Anyhow, what do you say we get ourselves utterly drunk again tonight eh?"

"Fine by me. Do you mind if we invite Nanao? She needs a distraction from that captain of hers."

"Sure, but only if we find her along the way"

As it turned out they did run into Nanao, but she, unfortunately, refused to go drinking with the two other lieutenants. But they made up for her absence by inviting every other person they happened to see on the way back to Kira's quarters. There they all joined in on several drinking games and mindless drunk chitchat. It probably would have lasted all night if not for a couple of shinigami from the fourth squad coming down and telling them to shut up because people were dying and the racket they were making wasn't helping them.

So little by little the drunken shinigami dispersed. Kira offered to walk Matsumoto back to her quarters in the 10th squad division, however, considering he was completely wasted at the moment, she didn't think that he'd be able to make the trip there and back.

When she neared her division she found that hers and Kira's group weren't the only ones up partying that night. She saw two of her men that seemed to be about as intoxicated as she was. When they caught sight of their lieutenant heading towards them they both dropped to their knees and sluggishly apologized for their misbehavior.

Rangiku was too drunk to care at the moment, though a little curious as to what other squadron was holding a midnight bash that night. One half-aware man replied that they came from the 9th squad division and that they were having one hell of a party down there, while the other man pondered if it could really be called a party since they weren't exactly celebrating anything. The first man went on to explain that he began to get a little worried about alcohol poisoning (since he normally didn't drink that much) and asked this pain in the ass guy to escort him home and make sure he didn't drop down dead on the way there. The 'pain in ass' then stated his doubts that it was even possible for a shinigami to get alcohol poisoning and so on.

Their lieutenant quickly tired of these two bickering and told them both to shut up and get out of her sight before she becomes sober. After a few moments of struggling to their feet the two drunks speedily complied.

By now Rangiku was in a stupor. She feared she had gotten lost and wouldn't be able to find her way back to her quarters. Wait, wait, she recognized that post, oh yeah, it was this way wasn't it?

As she stumbled her way to room Rangiku abruptly noticed how clear the stars were that night.

She stopped walking and supported herself on a railing as she stared up into the sky. There were just_ so_ many of them. So many little white dots up in the big black sky. Rangiku laughed as she suddenly wondered how the sky would look if all the stars traveled in one big circle. In her mind's eye she began to see them all twirl around and around and around and-

"What are you doing Matsumoto?"

Rangiku nearly jumped out of her gi "Eh!" she spun around to see her short captain standing with his arms crossed, staring at with disapprovingly.

"Captain! Don't _do_ that!" she rebuked.

Her captain quirked an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"Nevermind," the lieutenant breathed.

"So are you going to tell me what you're doing up in the middle of the night outside the office giggling like an idiot or not?"

"I'm …uh, looking for my room?" She laughed nervously.

"…"

"Um, Which way was it again?"

Histugaya pointed in the opposite direction of which she was heading. "That way," he said.

"Oh, hehe. Arigato taichou-san" she waved sheepishly.

"Oyasumina-saahhh! Owwcch!" Rangiku found herself on the wooden floor seeing that she had managed to trip over nothing as a result of her inebriated condition.

"…" Hitsugaya continued to stare, internally debating whether or not he should actually help his pathetically wasted lieutenant.

Rangiku's head was pounding, she knew she was going to regret drinking so much in the morning.

"Ita-ai!" she whined.

The white haired boy finally sighed in defeat and slung the blonde over his shoulder.

"How troublesome." he growled, "I'm not even going to bother to carry you all the way back to your quarters."

He balanced on one foot and slid open the door to the office with his other, "So why don't you sleep on that couch your so found of for tonight," he stated as he dumped her on the sofa.

Rangiku tried to say something witty in response, but only managed to mutter a few incoherent phrases as she drifted off to la-la land

Her captain just frowned and proceeded to look for a blanket of some sort to keep his lieutenant from catching cold.

The boy captain was about to turn in himself, however he quickly thought better of it knowing that he probably wouldn't get any sleep if he did. So instead he busied himself with the new batch of paperwork that he received, ironically, not twenty minutes after he told Matsumoto to take a hike. Figuring it was useless to send for her to come back so soon he decided to once again tackle that nasty pile by himself. Before the boy knew it, it was nearly dusk and no sign of his lieutenant returning anytime soon.

Almost regretting sending her away in the first place he had continued to work ceaselessly until he heard that special maniacal laugh that one gets only when one is completely wasted. He should have known that she would go off and get herself drunk somewhere, probably with Kira joining her.

Now for the third time that day he found himself staring at those evil piles of paper, waiting to be filled out with reports and what other nonsense that needed to be made up for the three uncompleted divisions. While he knew that the other squads and their captains were working hard as well, he had that bitter feeling that he got the steep side of all the document assignments. He sincerely hoped that no one thought that the 10th squad captain actually _enjoyed_ this work, if so that person was sorely mistaken.

Unfortunately, the best way to deal with any impending problem was to get rid of it as fast as possible. So for the nth time that day he picked up his pen, and began to write.


	2. Waking Up

Oh whatever, I finally decided on the pairings. Hitsu/Hina and maybe some Ran/Kira.

Sorry it took so long, but I didn't think that I could make a hitsu/rangiku work anyways. too bad, so sad. But you know what would be an interesting couple? Nanao and Histugaya, I mean, how weird would that be? Life with no laughs I guess.

**Disclaimer:** This is for chapters one and two, I do not own bleach, the anime or the manga and I don't own that line I so completely stole from Batman Begins. :P

………………………………………………………………………………….

Matsumoto woke up the next morning with a pounding headache.

_Oh damn my eyes_, she winced when the light reached her naked pupils.

She sat up and rubbed her temples. _That is the last time I let Kira convince me to drink with him._

Matsumoto remained seated on the couch for awhile, staring restfully at the light shining through the screen door. It must have been early morning, the light usually didn't come through like this when she wakes up from her afternoon nap. It was nice, peaceful like and illuminated the room pleasantly.

It was then that she noticed that she wasn't the only one in the room that morning. At first she thought she heard whispering, then realized that it was actually breathing.

Matsumoto turned around to find her captain at his desk, head resting on folded arms, and fast asleep.

"Well, this is definitely a first," she commented and walked towards the slumbering boy.

She bent down and started poking his shoulder repeatedly, "Taichou, Taichou-san wake up" she whispered.

He twitched ever so slightly.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to let you rest for a bit." She stared at him for a moment, She had never seen him when he was asleep before. _He's actually kinda cute when he's sleeping,_ she thought. His face was relaxed from his usual bored appearance. He really just looked like a normal kid.

"Guess I'll do something useful for the time being," she said to herself.

'Useful' meaning 'work', she picked up a few papers from the stack of them on her captain's desk and started to fill them out.

Not half an hour later there came a soft, yet stern knock on the wooden frame of the door.

"Who is it?" Matsumoto asked.

"It's just me Rangiku," replied the visitor.

"Oh Nanao, come in."

"That won't be necessary. I just came to carry on the message that Hinamori-san has finally woken up. I thought that Hitsugaya-taichou would like to know."

"Ah, I see. I'll past it on. Thanks for your time Nanao."

Matsumoto waited a bit, listening to the footsteps of the 8th squad lieutenant walk away. Then she turned towards her captain, intending to relay the news, only to find that he was no longer asleep.

"Taichou, I didn't realize you were awake." She said to him, politely surprised.

He didn't respond, just stared at the door, seeming to be lost in thought. Eventually he got up and headed outside.

"I'll be right back," he informed his lieutenant before sliding the door shut.

Matsumoto just smiled and returned to her work.

………………………………………………………………………………

"How is she?" Kira asked quietly.

"Awake, do you wish to speak with the patient?" The member of 4th squad gestured his hand towards Hinamori's room.

Kira hesitated. "Does she know about the attack?" _Does she know about Aizen?_

Knowing what he really meant the healer shook his head. "I don't believe she remembers anything about the…attack. Would you like for us to inform her?"

"No, I'll do it." Kira glanced resolutely at the door.

The healer shrugged, "As you wish," and took his leave.

Kira paused just before opening the door. He took a moment to collect himself. His presence, however, did not go unnoticed.

"Come in," came a soft voice from inside the room. He opened the door.

She looked pale, as expected. Her hair was loose and unkempt, adding to the image of a troubled child. Slowly the girl turned her head towards her visitor. Her eye's showed a little more than weariness. He saw a little bit of confusion in them, and a little bit of fear.

Noticing that her friend was staring at her, Hinamori looked to where her hands laid on her lap and blushed. "Kira-kun," she shyly welcomed.

"I'm sorry Hinamori-kun, I'm just glad to see that you are alright." He walked to her side.

Hinamori smiled, "You don't have to worry about me, I'm just fine! Even though the healer said that I was out for almost two weeks, I feel great, I really do!" She gave a small laugh and looked at Kira. Unfortunately her companion didn't share in her cheeriness. He was staring down at his feet, almost…guiltily it seemed.

"Kira-kun? What's wrong?" she asked.

He snapped his head up, "Huh? Nothing. It's just that…Hinamori-kun, there's something you need to know." He paused.

"It's about Aizen."

"What is it?" she was no longer cheery.

"He was the one who stabbed you."

When met with silence, Kira proceeded to tell her everything that had happened that faithful day two weeks ago. He told her about the death of the 46 chamber members and how he himself lured away Hitsugaya and Matsumoto from her and Aizen. He told her about the wounds that she, the 10th squad captain, the orange-haired drifter, and the 6th squad lieutenant received from Aizen's own bloody hands. He even told her Aizen's horrifying objectives and alignment with the menos grandes.

When he had finished, he diverted his gaze to the floor and quietly waited for the information to sink in.

The wait didn't last long. At first Hinamori seemed to be crying, but as her entire body began to shake, he realized that she was laughing.

"You…think this is funny don't you Kira?" Her erratic laughs grew louder.

"Hinamori-chan this is not a joke-"

"You think this is funny! Don't you Kira!" she screamed, no longer laughing. What? It's not good enough that Aizen-sama is dead, but now they have to soil his image? Do they think that she will stop grieving over her dead captain's body if she is angry at him?

"Your right," she said, not bothering to lower her voice. Already onlookers had begun to gather at the door to see what all the commotion was about. "This isn't a joke, now start over and tell me the truth this time!"

"No." came a calm, commandeing voice from behind them.

"Hitsugaya-taichou!" Kira acknowledged.

"Hi-Hitsugaya-kun," almost immediately the girl looked down at her hands folded in her lap, ashamed that she had acted so out of control.

"Hinamori, what he said _is_ the truth."

She snapped her head up, "How could you say that? The Aizen I know would never do such a horrid thing!"

"The Aizen you knew and the Aizen we _all_ knew was a fake. He deceived us."

"But he's dead! I saw his body with my own eyes!" Yes, that was it! There was no way he could have committed those crimes because he had died. Even thought the situation wasn't much better, at least it would keep these people from lying to her.

"He deceived us Hinamori." The white-haired captain repeated.

Hinamori stared into his eyes, trying to find anything, any hint that would show he was lying. Unfortunately for her, he was dead serious.

For awhile all that took place was a stare down, both refusing to break their gaze. Histugaya wanted her to believe, Hinamori wanted anything but to believe.

Eventually, as reality began to set in, it was Hinamori who broke their gaze, once again staring down at her hands.

"I want to be alone," she stated firmly.

Without a blink of an eye Hitsugaya turned and left the room. Kira started to follow, though glanced sadly at the girl before doing so.

Hinamori was left alone to cope with her reality.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Matsumoto knew something was wrong the moment Hitsugaya stepped into the room. Despite that he looked as bored as ever. She watched him silently as he sat down at his desk.

"Taichou?" she asked, almost hesitantly.

"What?" he demanded, not even sparing her a glance.

"How did it go?"

"Shouldn't you be concentrating on your work right now?" he ignored her question.

_Meaning it didn't go so well,_ Matsumoto gave a small smile.

"Did Kira show up?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" the white-haired one snapped.

"It's just a simple question Taichou, a mere yes or no would do just fine," she stated.

"I know that Matsumoto, however right now is not the time you should be asking those questions. Get back to work."

_Ouch, hard-ass. Things must have gone awful with Hinamori._ Matsumoto fell obediently silent for the next few minutes, a little irked at the way the kid was patronizing her. Usually his age never really bothered her, he was a good, responsible captain and knew that he could depend on her sometimes, though there were those other times that she questioned his behavior and decisions. Then again, didn't most subordinates have that problem? At least she had a captain that she could trust, not someone like Gin.

Her heart wrenched at the sudden thought of her childhood friend. As she worked, thoughts of him began to crowd her mind. Where was he? What was he doing? Why did he leave? Why didn't he stay here? What was he trying to accomplish? Will she ever see him again?

Matsumoto took a couple of seconds to calm her mind down. Histugaya-taichou was right, now was not the time to ask such things, they had work to do. Just a few more days of this torture and things will have settled down enough and the afterlife would go back to normal. Well, as normal as Soul Society could be without Gin and the other two captains.

Come to think of it, wasn't the first conference to decide who would replace the captains going to be held today? She snuck a look towards her captain, who was scowling at the paper in front of him. She silently wondered if he was in any condition to attend the meaning and participate objectively.

Then Hitsugaya abruptly stood up.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Hitsugaya looked back at her, startled, he had forgotten that his lieutenant was present. He stared back down thoughtfully at his desk, still standing up.

"Nothing" he said quietly.

He stood for awhile, and then promptly left the room, announcing that he was going out for a walk.

Matsumoto wasted no time in deciding that she needed a break as well. She stood up and stretched, sore from sitting down so long.

Slightly perplexed at her captain's odd behavior she made her way over to her much beloved couch and sat down.

She tried to think, ponder about Gin, her captain, and anything else that came to mind, she really tried, but the pillows of her couch were just so soft. The cushions of which she was now laying upon were tender and flexible, so that they fit the curves of her body

perfectly.

A gentle breeze blew inside the room, fresh and cool.

She really didn't know what it was about that couch that always put her to sleep, but whatever it was, it worked like a charm.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Hinamori leaned over the rail almost casually. She needed to think, or better yet, not think. Or at least just some peace. Something she could not have with 4th squad members running in and out all day asking if they could get her anything.

She slowly observed her surroundings. Nothing in Soul Society looked out of place, as if there had been a fierce battle recently, like she was told. The clean-up crews were good at their jobs.

There were soft footsteps behind her. She turned around to be greeted by the serious face of Nanao.

"Ohayou, Hinamori-san," Nanao greeted her. Hinamori bowed slightly in acknowledgement, then looked back over the railing.

"Are you sure you should be up? You don't look to well," Nanao noted.

"I'm fine" Hinamori's voice came out harsher than she wanted. She winced, then looked at Nanao apologetically.

"Good," Nanao was apathetic to her tone, "Because I was sent by my captain to see if you were interested in taking up the position as the captain of fifth division. If not we'd be sure to notify the council."

Hinamori instantly froze at the offer. How could they expect her to make a decision so soon? She had woken up that very day, hardly enough time to digest the changes to Soul Society in the last couple of weeks.

She stared blankly at Nanao. Did she really want to replace captain Aizen? She didn't even want to accept that he was still living, and her enemy nevertheless. It was all too much. Sometimes she wished that she could just fall asleep and wake up with everyone the way they were, captain Aizen still her captain, captain Ichimaru still Kira's captain, no drifters, no battle, no nothing. Everything just the way it was.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that tears were beginning to form at the corner of her eyes.

Nanao did, however, those hawk-like eyes of hers hardly missed a thing.

"May I make a suggestion?" she offered kindly.

The younger girl didn't seem to have heard her.

"Hinamori-san.," she repeated harshly.

"What is it?" she squeaked.

"I suggest that you take the position."

"Why?" Her voice sounded slightly raspy, as though she was trying not to cry.

"Forgive for being frank, but if you ask me, you seem to be in desperate need of a distraction. You can be sitting around doing nothing but dwell on your own pain, as I know you are wont to do. Thinking too much, as my captain likes to tell me frequently, isn't healthy. If you take up the position of captain, you will have a responsibility to tend to. And also," Her voice lowered to a whisper, "you will have the authority to do what you otherwise cannot."

Hinamori looked at her fellow lieutenant understanding what she was trying to say. If Aizen happened to reappear she wouldn't have to stick to orders, not that she would anyways, but at least if she was a captain she could use her authority to go off on her own and do as she pleased, for better of for worse. "Tell the council," she spoke slowly, "that I will think about it in great lengths."

Nanao nodded and continued on her way.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

"Since most of the council members are dead, I thought that it would be best to settle this issue quickly, with only the captains of each remaining squad as judges," the captain of the 1st squad, Genryuusai explained somberly.

The other eight captains present nodded their heads. Kurotshuchi did not attend that day.

"We need to decide the replacement captains for Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tousen Kaname."

Komamura Sajin wasted no time in stepping forward, "I believe, I _know_ that lieutenant Hisagi is the best choice for captain of the 9th division." He didn't sate why, of course, but everyone knew why. Both Komamura-taichou and lieutenant Hisagi had special attachments to Tousen. They wanted him to return to them, however, if Tousen had no intention of returning, those two would be the ones to destroy him.

"I second that," Ukitate Jyuushiro said. Everyone nodded, knowing that it was the best decision.

"Does anyone object?" Yamamoto asked.

The room was silent.

Genryuusai glanced at Komamura, "Does Hisagi agree?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well then, Hisagi Shuuhei is the new captain of the ninth squad. Next is 3rd squad, Ichimaru Gin's replacement. Any preferences?"

This time Hitsugaya spoke up, "Kira should take his place."

Zaraki snorted immediately, "How do we know he won't run back to Gin tail tucked between his legs?"

"That's right," Soi Fong said, "He _was _on their side for awhile."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, "he was tricked, like the rest of us, he didn't know Ichimaru's objectives at the time."

"True, he was simply a lieutenant faithfully following the orders of his captain," another voice added, "then once he realized that those orders were treason, he immediately came back to our side. We need that kind of faith now in Soul Society," Kyouraku smiled lazily. So everything he said wasn't quite all true, Kira went on whichever side that provided the most safety for Hinamori, that was a fact, but it still provided a pretty good argument.

"And there were more than one supposed traitors that day," Genryuusai glanced at Ukitate and Kyouraku in particular.

"Any other objections? Anyone else that would be better suited for captain other than lieutenant Kira?" he asked.

"Humph, I don't really give a damn either way," Zaraki said.

"Only here for the free food?" Kyouraku raised his eyebrow. Zaraki smirked.

"I personally think Kira would be an appropriate replacement for the 3rd squad captain." Genryuusai commented, "Now, on to fifth squad."

The room fell silent once again.

Until Kyouraku finally decided to say something, "Naturally Hinamori would be the first one to come to mind when thinking of the fifth squad captain replacement however…"

"Unohana, what is her condition?" Genryuusai addressed the 4th squad captain.

She responded, "Physically she is fine, mentally, she is still recovering."

"What is your opinion on her state of minds?" 1st squad captain asked.

"I believe she could recover, with some time, and be adequate enough to take over the role as captain, she didn't make it to the rank of lieutenant for nothing, after all." She smiled vaguely.

While Unohana was talking, Kyouraku kept nudging Kuchiki in the ribs.

Kuchiki ignored him as best he could, he knew what Kyouraku wanted. He wanted him to stand up for his own lieutenant, Renji's standing, to support Hinamori. Unfortunately, Kuchiki was never the one to meddle in other peoples affairs.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kyouraku pouting at him.

Hitsugaya spoke out again.

"I'm against it," He said sternly. All eyes turned towards him. He was the last person most of them thought would be against Hinamori assuming the rank of captain.

"Why?" asked Genryuusai.

"We will face Aizen and the other traitors again in the future, I don't think she will be able to control herself when that happens." He explained.

"Yes, but Unohana said that within time she will be able to heal mentally. Besides, no matter what her rank is she will still be here when those traitors come back," Komamura Sajin pointed out.

"But will she have the ability to command a squadron?" No one answered. Hitsugaya continued, "Remember how she acted on first impulse after discovering her captain dead? Can we trust her to control herself next time?" he didn't mention the fact that her actions were partly due to his warning.

"That's not a valid argument," Kuchiki finally said, he figured he could at least do something in his lieutenant's favor, so then he wouldn't feel too guilty afterwards, "It was a completely different situation, that doesn't mean the girl will act the same way in the future."

"Is it really so different?" Hitsugaya countered, his voice rising slightly.

Genryuusai interrupted before he could say anymore, "I understand what you are trying to say, are we willing to take such a risk with a possibly unstable lieutenant, however, keep in mind that we are always taking risks, with every new captain and even some existing ones." Ukitate could've sworn that Genryuusai glanced at him, again.

Hitsugaya stared at his feet, feeling awful. He knew that he would like nothing better than for Hinamori to become a fellow captain. He was always behind her, no matter what. But then, he also didn't want to see her dead. Aizen, if he ever came back, would either want to finish the job he started or torture her until she really did have a mental breakdown. Hitsugaya knew that he would die before that man could put a scratch on Hinamori. And if she was a captain, with authority to act on her own during wartime, then it would make it all the more easier for Aizen to find her.

Sad to say Kyouraku didn't quite agree. He simply thought that it was only right for a lieutenant to take over the role of her captain.

"What if she was willing to give it a try? Hinamori did say that she wanted to become taichou of the 5th division." He informed the present people. Okay, so Nanao said that the girl was still thinking about it, but hey, it's not like it would create a huge problem if he happened to misunderstand some second-hand information would it?

Except that the boy-captain was giving him a glare that said, _No she didn't you sneak._

"There is a good chance that Hinamori may prove to be stronger in the next encounter with our enemies. It's easy to learn from the mistakes of our past and this may be a way for her to conquer her inner demons." Unohana quite insightfully commented.

"And why do fall?" Kyouraku smiled, "So we can pick ourselves up again." Suddenly he had the feeling that Hitsugaya was trying to kill him with that scowl.

Genryuusai looked thoughtfully at them for a moment, "Does anyone have a better idea for 5th division captain?" he asked. The room was silent.

Kyouraku could name a few, Hitsugaya had one in particular in mind. However they both have said too much already for their opinions to matter.

"Very well then," Genryuusai continued on, "If Hinamori believes she can handle the responsibility, then she can assume the title of captain. Meeting adjourned."

The captains began to file out of the room, quietly wrapped up in their own thoughts. Zaraki grumbled something about wasting their time. Komamaru was pleased with the results. Ukitate was wondering if Ganryuusai-dono had some kind of grudge against him, and Kyouraku was trying to figure out more ways to annoy his lieutenant. Unohana, Kuchiki, and Soi Fong were all completely apathetic to the results of their meeting and Hitsugaya pretended to be indifferent but inside he was furious.

Genryuusai believed that Hinamori would make a fine captain.

Hitsugaya disagreed.

Either way they'd both find out very soon whether the decision was the right one or not.

Sooner then they wanted to.

For at that time, somewhere where neither man could imagine, former captain Aizen Sousuke had some spare time on his hands. And Aizen decided that he was going to have some fun.

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(A/N) Read and Review!and don't tell me how boring the chapter was, I already know. Next will be more interesting, I promise.


	3. Aizen Who Once Was

**Disclaimer:** i dunth ownth ith

(A/N) Umm, yeah, i have no idea about the whole government system thing in Soul Society, my bad.So lets pretend that the new way of selecting a captain was for emergencies only.

:)i like pretending.

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* * *

It was the morning after the conference. Matsumoto found herself, once again, sitting on the steps drinking with Kira. She looked into her cup, swirling it mildly.

_Didn't I just promise myself not to get drunk with Kira again?_ She sighed thoughtfully.

Kira seemed to read her thoughts, "You know, we really need to stop doing this." He said.

Matsumoto nodded vaguely. Her head was already feeling a little dizzy from the alcohol.

Finally Kira set the half-empty jug down.

"I can't drink anymore, here, you can finish the rest," he stood up, or at least tried to stand, and ended up almost falling down the stairs.

"Careful," Matsumoto warned, quickly rising up to steady her friend.

"C'mon, I'll walk you back," she offered.

"What about the sake?" Kira asked. They both looked toward the forgotten jug on the steps.

"Seems like such a waste…" Kira commented.

"Here," She let go of Kira long enough to grab the bottle.

"Hey! Shuuhei!" she called to the newly appointed captain, who happened to be just walking by at the moment.

He stopped walking and turned his head left to right, looking for the one who called him.

"Shuuhei!" she said again and waved her arm. He walked closer to her.

"Here," she tossed the jug of sake to him.

"Huh?" He caught it easily.

"It's a present," was her only explanation as she turned back to helping Kira up the stars.

"Knock yourself out" she encouraged.

Shuuhei stared. Blinked. Then headed off to Komamura's quarters.

The two shinigami reached the top of the stars, unaware of the dark clouds that were gathering in the sky.

"You feeling ok Kira-kun? Or should I be calling you Kira-taichou from now on?" She smirked.

"Don't even start-" he began. Just then a rush of wind blew up around them, causing Kira to almost loose his balance again. Matsumoto's haired whipped around her face, a few seconds later the wind died down.

"Wha-" Matsumoto started, that's when they both became aware of their surroundings. It had suddenly become noticeably darker. Much darker. The black clouds completely covered the sky now, blocking out the sun. It was like night, without the moon or stars. The only difference was the clouds reflected off the white walls and floors, causing an eerie blue glow along the ground.

All was silent.

"What is going on?" Matsumoto whispered.

Kira shook his head. "I don't know," he said, equally quiet.

"No wait! Do you feel that!"

"Feel what?" she asked. Suddenly it hit her with a force strong enough to knock her back a few steps. It felt as though someone just dumped a bucket of ice water down her back.

But it wasn't water, no, it was someone's life force! Life force that belonged to someone very very familiar.

"It's him." She hissed.

Kira froze, "G-Gin?"

She shook her head, "No. Aizen."

Kira's eyes widened immediately. "That bastard!"

He took off instantly, in the direction where the dreaded force was strongest.

"Kira, wait!" Matsumoto called. Too late, she ran after him.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Hinamori walked alone. Head down, hands clasped in front of her, she had just received the news from Nanao. Apparently Kyouraku-taichou had misunderstood her and told the council that she was ready, and willing to take the role of a taichou.

As of now, Hinamori Momo was captain of the shinigami of 5th division, captain of Aizen's squad.

She honestly didn't know what to think or feel at the moment. She never thought that she would be replacing captain Aizen, she always thought that she'd just stay as his faithful lieutenant forever, or at least become the captain of some other squadron, so that they would still be working together.

Hinamori raised a hand to her forehead. Too many changes, too little time to take it all in.

What was going to happen now? What was a captain supposed to be doing right now? They never told her what had to be done, or even what they expected her to do. They just said 'Hey, guess what? You're the new captain, congratulations.' Then left her to figure it out for herself.

Then again, she guessed that it was understandable, considering the situation they were in. They needed to completely reconstruct the council, considering everyone else there was dead, they didn't really have time to welcome the new captains or give out too official orders. The ruling system was just a mess at the moment.

Come to think, did her own squad even know she was their captain now? Probably not. She didn't even know until just a few minutes ago. But her squad might have already guessed who their new captain was, after all in all the other squadrons the lieutenants became captains.

There was something else Nanao mentioned. Out of all the replacement captains, her being one of them received the most protests at the meeting. Ok, so maybe she could understand that, sometimes she couldn't even trust herself to make the right decisions. But what bothered Hinamori was that it was Hitsugaya-kun who objected it the most and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.

Wasn't he her friend? Hitsugaya, out of everyone she had come to know at soul society, knew her the best. They had been childhood friends for crying out loud! Why wouldn't he trust her? Did he really have so little faith in her abilities as a shinigami so much as to bring it up before the 'council'?

Hinamori clenched her fists. It hurt her to know that the one person she thought knew her best, really didn't know her at all.

"Aw, my dear Hinamori, don't be angry. After all, I have come back here just for you."

Hinamori's blood ran cold. No. It couldn't be. Not now, it just couldn't be-

She spun around. It was.

It was Aizen. Standing there smiling, just like the old Aizen, arms stretched out in a welcoming embrace. He stepped forward.

Hinamori's entire body shuddered. "Wh- who are you?" she asked him.

His smile broadened. "Why Hinamori, it's me. Don't you recognize me?"

Yes she recognized him. He was Aizen. Aizen who was dead. Aizen who was murdered. Aizen who used to watch over her. Aizen who told her what to do. Aizen who let her watch him that night. Aizen who spoke to her kind and caring words. Aizen who was alive. Aizen who had stabbed her.

He took another step forward.

"G-Get away from me!" she cried.

He stepped closer.

"What's wrong, Hinamori-chan, aren't you glad to see me again?" he asked, arms still open, face still in a wide, warm smile.

"NO!" she screamed, "You are not the Aizen I once knew!"

"Whatever are you talking about, Hinamori-_chan_? I'm Aizen, I'll always be Aizen," He cooed, his smile took on a colder side.

Suddenly Hinamori's heart was overcome with emotion. Not of fear. Not of pain. She was filled with rage.

"Give him back," she whispered.

"Hmm?" Aizen stopped walking towards her.

"I said to give him back! Give me back the Aizen-taichou we used to know! Give me back my Aizen!" she screamed, crying openly now.

Aizen laughed loudly, "Give you back _your_ Aizen? Haha! Hinamori-chan, your Aizen is dead. Gone forever. I am the new Aizen, the real Aizen. I _am_ Aizen!"

"You bastard!" she seethed, eyes and tears blazing with hatred, "I will kill you!"

She charged. Soul slayer out and pointed at his chest, she charged.

Aizen didn't flinch, didn't move to get out of the way. He just stood there, smiling at his former lieutenant's actions.

"Hinamori NO!" a voice called from afar. She ignored it and kept running.

CLING!

"Kira!" Hinamori stated in surprise. Kira had come in between herself and Aizen, he had blocked her soul slayer with his own.

"Why Kira? Why? He's the enemy! You told me yourself that he was the enemy!" she cried out.

"Get a hold of yourself Hinamori!" her blond friend demanded, "You are in no condition to fight him! He'll kill you in an instant!"

"Oh, like you think that you would do much better, Kira-kun," Aizen said, eyes sparkled with amusement.

Kira spun around, his soul slayer was now aimed where Hinamori's once was.

"No," he said, "but-"

A voice came from behind Aizen, "With the both of us, I think we stand a fairer chance."

"Matsumoto-san!" Hinamori cried out.

"Hey there little Miss Momo, don't get in our way. Taichou would be very upset if we let you die here." Matsumoto said.

"Hmm, this is getting more interesting by the second," Aizen commented.

"No!" Hinamori argued, "This is my battle!"

"Don't be an idiot Hinamori!" Kira yelled.

Hinamori continued, "No, as captain of the 5th squad division, it is my duty to eliminate the former, traitor captain in a fair battle."

"This is my replacement captain? Don't insult me," Aizen laughed.

"Can it Aizen!" Kira thrust his sword forward, toward his heart. But Aizen easily dodged the attempt. For a moment he seemed to disappear-

-and reappear right behind Hinamori.

"And I'll have you know-," he raised his sword above her head.

"Hinamori look out!" Matsumoto warned her. She spun around. It was too late! The sword was already coming down at her head! She closed her eyes.

"-that a fair fight will only mean your death!" He finished his swing.

Blood splattered. Hinamori opened her eyes. The blood was not from her.

She was on the ground, Kira laid on top of her. A long scar reached from his shoulder to his waist.

"Kira!" Hinamori cried, shaking his shoulders frantically, "Kira no! Please wake up! Wake up Kira!" She quickly checked his pulse on his neck and breathed a sigh of relief. He was still alive, she didn't know for how much longer, but for now he was still alive.

"Aarrrrhhhhh" Hinamori looked up. Matsumoto was attacking Aizen from behind!

"Matsumoto No!"

SLASH!

Matsumoto fell back with an identical cut as Kira's, but on her front.

Aizen laughed as the woman tried to struggled back onto her feet. "Is this the best you two have to offer? So much for protecting Hinamori."

He brought the point of his bloody sword to Matsumoto's neck, forcing her back onto the ground.

"Now," he said, "You die!"

………………………………………………….

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The End

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* * *

JUST KIDDING :P

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"Kyouraku-taichou! Kyouraku-taichou! We're under attack!" Nanao called, sliding open the door to her captain's office where Shunsui had just finished slaying two hollows.

"Really?" he said, "I hadn't noticed."

Nanao watched as the hollows deteriorated. "I can't believe this, hollows are attacking Soul Society. Hollows! In Soul Society! It's ridiculous!"

"Yes," her captain agreed, "There's a first time for everything. But if what I'm thinking is right then these," he motioned to the hollows wailing outside, "are only distractions."

"You mean?"

"Yes," Kyouraku nodded solemnly, "He's come back."

Just then Zaraki Kenpachi arrived at the door, his adorable little lieutenant riding on his back as always.

"What are you two standing here for? We're under attack!" he demanded.

"Zaraki-san," Kyouraku turned towards their guest, "May I leave these…things to you? Nanao-chan and I have a quick errand to run."

Zaraki grinned evilly, "Leave it to me."

"Yay! Ken-chan!" Yachiru cheered, "Lets go play with them! Let's go play with them!"

They left the room. Cries of pain and suffering soon followed.

Kyouraku looked to his lieutenant. She nodded.

"Let's go."

……………………………………………….

Matsumoto closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow.

It never came.

"Aizen!" a familiar voice growled.

She opened her eyes. It was taichou!

"What the hell are you doing here and what the hell do you want with Hinamori!" Hitsugaya demanded, their swords were locked together.

"I only wanted to have a little fun, Hitsugaya-kun." Aizen stated innocently.

He pushed his sword forward. Hitsugaya let him. When there was no pressure against his Soul Slayer, Aizen almost stumbled.

Hitsugaya took this chance, ducked under his sword, and slashed at his opponent's stomach.

Aizen stepped back in pain.

"Matsumoto! Are you alright? Can you stand?" Her captain called back to her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied.

"Then take Hinamori and Kira and get outta here! I'll cover you!"

Matsumoto struggled up to her feet.

"No!" Hinamori called out angrily. "I'm staying!"

"Hinamori, go with Kira, and make sure he gets out of here _alive_." Hitsugaya demanded once again.

"I already told you I'm-"

"Hinamori look out!"

Again Aizen had appeared behind her, but this time she was ready. She spun around and just barely managed to block Aizen's sword with her own.

"Ah!" she screamed. The force of the impact seemed to paralyze her arms.

Hitsugaya charged at Aizen, who almost effortlessly pushed him back into Hinamori and they both went tumbling into the ground.

Hinamori quickly struggled to stand up. Hitsugaya was already on his feet.

"Hinamori, for the last time, if your not gonna help, then get out of the way." He was panting slightly, there was a small gash on his chest.

She stood resolute. "No."

"Then don't say I didn't warn you," he muttered. Then, in one swift motion, Hitsugaya switched his sword to his left hand, spun around, and punched Hinamori in the stomach.

Immediately she buckled over. Hitsugaya caught her with one arm.

"Matsumoto," He called. Matsumoto was already making her way towards them. She took the girl into her own arms, Hinamori made a feeble attempt to struggled against it. Matsumoto was surprised she wasn't completely unconscious already, he must not have hit her as hard as she thought.

"Get her out of here," Hitsugaya commanded, she could tell he was fighting to keep his voice level. "I'll take care of Kira."

"I can take care of myself," Kira said weakly. Matsumoto breathed out relief, he was okay.

Kira managed to push himself to his feet and looked straight at Hitsugaya, "I'll take care of her," He promised. The three left together.

Hitsugaya almost grinned. Almost.

When his comrades were safely out of the way he turned back towards Aizen, who had been doing nothing but smiling while his prey got away.

"One thing before we start," Hitsugaya said, "Tell me the truth, did you come back to kill Hinamori?"

"No," Aizen responded, "I was just going to offer her to come back with me, after all, she was such a faithful servant to me before."

Hitsugaya sneered, "You didn't really think she'd willingly go back with you did you?"

Aizen laughed again, "With a little persuasion, actually, yes, I did."

"Bastard. I'll make sure you never laugh again." Hitsugaya threatened.

Aizen's face was suddenly very serious, "You know, you're very lucky to be alive right now boy. A mistake I'll make sure won't happen again."

Hitsugaya never saw it coming. One second, he was staring at Aizen; the next second, all he could see was blood.

………………………………………………

"Taichou! Over there!" Matsumoto whipped her head around.

"Nanao!" she called out. She and Kira stopped running.

Nanao and Kyouraku made their way over to the injured few.

"What's going on?" Nanao demanded.

Kyouraku surveyed the three, "It was Aizen wasn't it?"

Both Matsumoto and Kira nodded; Hinamori was still unconscious, barely.

"Where is he now?"

"Fighting with my captain. We need to go back now, he needs help."

"Ai. Zen. Tai. Chou." Hinamori mumbled, she was coming to. Matsumoto set her down on her feet.

"Can you walk Hinamori-san," Kyouraku asked the girl.

Hinamori suddenly snapped out of her stupor when she realized who was talking to her.

"Kyouraku-taichou! We have to find Aizen, he's here!" she told him frantically.

"We know," Nanao said, "Let's go. Genryuusai-dono should already be there."

"What? When?" Kira asked.

Kyouraku shrugged, then smiled, "He was ahead of us, you must have passed him up along the way.

He and Nanao started running in the direction the other three came from. Matsumoto and Kira shared a quick confused glance, then ran after them, Matsumoto still half dragging Hinamori.

_But this is good_, thought Matsumoto, _if what Kyouraku-taichou and Nanao said is true, then maybe the other captains have already taken him down._

Up ahead Matsumoto could see where the battle had taken place. Aizen was cornered by the 1st squad captain, Byakuya, and a few others.

However, by the time she and Kira had reached the arena, Aizen was gone. He had disappeared right before there eyes.

Matsumoto finally let Hinamori go completely. The girl stumbled around for a bit. Matsumoto watched her as her eyes widened and settled on something in the distance.

Matsumoto turned to looked at what Hinamori staring at. Unohana, the captain of the 4th squadron, the healing division, was kneeling next to a crumbled, bloody heap on the ground.

Matsumoto's heart stopped.

_Taichou…_

* * *

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Please Review! and dont worry, there will be fluff in next chapter.i repeat, there will be fluff in next chapter


	4. Dwell Well

**Disclaimer:** i dont own bleach, though i do wish they'd hurry it up with the mang already.

(A/N)ook. I fear that I have procrastinated long enough. You guys are lucky. Usually I need to drink four or five consecutive sodas in a row in order to get into my correct state of a caffeine high that I need to write, but this time ive only gotten to my third. So if the chapter seems to be a bit…jerky, or out of place, you'll know why.

x.x my very first attempt at fluff, I hope it goes well. I usually don't write stuff so…happy-ish (I think that's the word, though fluff can be angst as well). I tend to go for the bittersweet moments. Oh well, a promise is a promise. I hope it doesn't seem too weird to you guys.

(A/N)Actually, now that im looking back at it (in the middle of the night) this is one crappy chapter…dangit.

* * *

It had been two days since Aizen attacked Hinamori. So far he had shown no signs of returning to finish the job. But Soul Society knew better than to relax. Currently troops were reviewing drills and preparing tactics for an assault by an enemy. Captains, lieutenants, and other high-standing officers, when not completing paperwork, could be found dueling one another in attempts to strengthen their abilities. Aizen was not a foe to be taken lightly.

But that was only when there were no documents to be filled out. And lately, since two captains and a lieutenant had been temporarily put under custody of the healing division, there was a lot of paperwork.

But none of that was going through Hinamori's mind as she stood at the edge of Hitsugaya's hospital bed in the intensive care district. Unohana had even complained at the time (with a soft smile on her face) that once one patient gets better, another one quickly fills its place. However, if it wasn't for Unohana's immediate expert care, Hitsugaya wouldn't even have been able to fill her place.

She watched over him quietly, the sounds of fourth squadron members rushing to fulfill their duties echoed through the hallways.

He was so pale His skin was almost as white as the ice that he controlled through his soul slayer. And still.

Aizen had dealt some serious, almost-deadly blow to the poor boy's body. A slash across his chest, his face, two cuts that penetrated his stomach, and one that pierced his upper side.

Once again, if Unohana-taichou hadn't been there…

Hinamori shook her head. She did _not_ want to think about what would have happen if Unohana-taichou didn't come when she did. It was unbearable.

She shuddered visibly as she recalled that night Aizen attacked. Matsumoto and herself had rushed to the crumbled heap that was Hitsugaya. At the time his hair and clothing had been dyed red from his own blood and the gashes on his body were left wide open. They thought he was gone for sure, but he was still breathing…barely.

Yet what scared her he most was not the bloody cuts and wounds, nor, ironically, the fact that he was hurt badly and it was all her fault; it was the lack of movement that scared her.

His stillness. Her friend from since who knows when, who always seemed to be bored at everything, sighing, meandering, fighting, scolding, whatever it was he was always tense and alive, even when sleeping, with what seemed to be older, wiser, and stronger movements. Movements that became limp as a wet cloth after being scarred by Aizen's sword.

There were no signs of strain in his brows from pain, no feeble attempt of whispering words, no shivering, quivering or heavy breathing. Just limp, and still, already comatose.

And he hadn't so much as twitched since that moment.

She observed his face. It was lax, and almost peaceful. Usually Histugaya always appeared to be older, or much more mature than Hinamori, with the confidence of an adult who seemed to know everything. But with his jaw slack and brows relaxed, the boy looked much younger than normal, reminding Hinamori of his true age. It was a side of him Hinamori had never seen before. Then again, she had never seen him in a coma before either.

She took one of his hands in her own, it was cold. There was a deep coldness inside her chest as well, a kind of gripping, yet subtle fear that wrapped it's way around her heart. She recognized the sensation. The last time she felt the same way was when Aizen-taichou appeared to be…

A new feeling enveloped her now. Longing. The feeling one gets when separated from a lover, or a once beloved past. So strong that she almost began to tremble as she held the limp boy's hand. If he were awake, he would know immediately what she was thinking about and would probably be upset by it. So Hinamori tried to take a few breaths to calm herself down.

"Well, well, well, if this scene isn't familiar," a voice from behind interrupted her thoughts, "except that usually it's you who's on the bed and taichou who's holding your hand."

Hinamori started as she faced the woman almost guiltily, "Matsumoto! You shouldn't be up! Don't you need to be resting? What about your wound?"

" 'Tis but a scratch," she exclaimed.

Hinamori frowned, "That's what the black knight said when he got his arm chopped off."

Matsumoto grinned, "Well, I have Unohana's permission, if that's any help."

The younger girl shrugged.

"How's Kira-kun?"

"He's fine, he wanted to come over and see how you were doing, but Unohana made him stay in his bed."

"I see."

Matsumoto walked over to her and leaned against the bed. For a while neither of the two did anything but enjoy the silence that was lain between them.

Eventually Hinamori stood up, as though she was going to walk away, but her hand was still holding Hitsugaya's.

Gently she let it go and continued to stare sadly at the boy.

Matsumoto examined the younger girl carefully, then casually plopped down in Hinamori's seat. She ran a delicate hand through her hair.

"So then, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," she stated firmly.

"I'm sorry. I have work to due." Hinamori started to leave the room, taking one last look at her childhood friend.

"Well if there ever _is_ anything wrong, feel free to talk to me kid." Matsumoto assured her.

Hinamori paused, seeming t consider her words, then looked back, a faint blush covering her cheeks.

"He really held my hand?"

Matsumoto grinned, then gave out a dramatically exasperated sigh as Hinamori left the room.

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The next day…

_Aizen. _

_Hitsugaya._

_Aizen._

_Hitsugaya._

"Koufu-san, would you please pass me that pile over there?"

_Aizen. _

"Yes taichou,"

_Hitsugaya._

"Thank you very much, you may take a break if you want to," she smiled innocently, as if she had no problems like injured comrades and vengeful enemies to think about.

Her unofficially appointed lieutenant, a kind, elderly man, bowed to her politely and shook his head.

"No taichou. Perhaps you should like to take a break instead?"

Hinamori gave out a small fake laugh, "No way! I just started working!"

Koufu stared at the girl. She had already been working for three hours straight. He shook his head, the youth were so energetic, he could hardly keep up with them.

Hinamori looked up at him quizzically when her lieutenant continued to stare at her. He looked back at her.

He smiled.

She smiled.

He kept smiling.

Hinamori sweatdropped.

"Um, Koufu-san, do you mind delivering these papers for me?" she held out a small stack of white, partially crumbled sheets.

"Not at all, taichou" he replied, gently taking them from her hands with a small bow.

About to walk out of the office, he took one more glance at his new taichou staring down at her desk. She looked so tired and lonely... definitely not the kind of appearance suited for a pretty young lady.

Tsk tsk tsk, such a pity.

The kind old man took his leave, set out on delivering the papers and giving the girl some time to think in private.

But instead of thinking, Hinamori tried to finish up on some even more papers, make-up work, specifically, work that other squadrons didn't have the time to, or couldn't finish, due to certain circumstances.

_Aizen._

_Hitsugaya._

_Nononononononono! Don't think don't think don't think!_

Hinamori pounded her head rhythmically in order to block her thoughts. _I need to concentrate. I can't think about them now, if I do, I'll never get my work done!_

She finished filing out one paper and set it in the 2nd division pile. She reached out to grab the next one.

"Let's see, this one is from…" she paused and read the small italic print at the top of the page.

It read:

_ADDRESSED TO 10TH DIVISION CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA– PLEASE RETURN BY (THIS DATE)_

Immediately her head began to fill with images of a certain white-haired boy lying pale and still on a hospital bed.

"NO!" she cried, this was not working out the way she wanted it to!

She quickly set the paper aside, intending to fill it out later, then picked up the next one.

_ADDRESSED TO 5TH DVISION CAPTAIN HINAM-_

Aizen's kind face, then his evil one, forced its way into her mind. She threw down the paper and grabbed at her hair, "No! No! NO!" she shouted.

" - I'll – uh, I'll uh come back later…"

The girl spun around, uniform ruffled up and hair sticking in all directions, just in time to see Koufu shut the door while mumbling something about mentally disturbed youths as he hurried away.

Damn she was a mess.

She didn't even know why she was thinking about Aizen anymore, she had already acknowledge him as her enemy didn't she? She just felt so lost without him…

And Hitsugaya? Why did she keep thinking about him as well? Was it because he was lying, half-dead, and in a coma because of her? Or was it because he was the one that kept her from fighting Aizen and getting revenge on him?

She slowly leaned back against the wall of her office, and sobbed.

Aizen was her mentor and her captain, someone she admired. Shirou-kun was her childhood friend and protector, someone she could rely on. And right then, at that moment, they were both gone.

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Many days later….

The good news: Hitsugaya woke from his coma.

The bad news: he felt like crap.

His entire abdomen was wrapped in bandages and he could hardly sit, stand, or walk without feeling intense waves of pain wash about his body.

He didn't even remember what had happened to him when he first woke up. Then Kyouraku had the decency to visit him and inform him with the single, explicit word: Aizen. That explained _a lot_.

Obviously the first thing out of Hitsugaya's mouth after that was 'is Hinamori alright!'.

To which Kyouraku chuckled and told him that he should take the week off from his captainly duties like a good little boy and get some rest. And then had the gall to pat him on the head and walk away laughing his freaking head off.

The patronizing bastard! If he wasn't so weak at the moment that he couldn't hold a sword, Hitsugaya swore that he would have decapitated him right then and there.

Ah yes, but Hitsugaya will get revenge on him one day…

At the current moment, Hitsugaya was gently leaning against the door of his office room, bored out of his freaking mind. Matsumoto too had come to the conclusion that he needed to take the week off as well, and locked him out of his own office!

Didn't anybody have any pity for him, a poor wounded shinigami? No, apparently not.

"Matsumoto," he called out calmly.

"Yes taichou?" her voice came sweetly from within.

"Do you appreciate your job?"

"Yes taichou."

"Would you like to keep your job?"

"Yes taichou."

"Then if you don't let me in I'm demoting you."

"That's cheap taichou, real cheap."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. Like locking him out of his own office wasn't cheap.

But then he heard evil little voices mumbling from inside the room.

"Can he really do that?"

"Don't worry, he can't."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, sure"

"What the-" Hitsugaya started, "Why the hell is Kira in _MY_ office!"

"Why the hell not?" Kira retorted. From the sound of his voice Hitsugaya could tell he was drunk. That figured, when were Matsumoto and Kira _not_ drinking together?

"Oh wait, I know, because Kira isn't some poor injured work-obsessive midget who doesn't know how to have a good time without his paperwork," Matsumoto explained, her tone just beginning to slur from the alcohol.

Hitsugaya murmured, desperate for some kind of comeback. "At least I didn't get stabbed in the back," _That was real lame_, he though.

Unfortunately the two heard him.

"I'm still not a midget!" called Kira.

"Ooh, but he's right Kira-kun. So don't be naughty or I'm going to have to kick you out of my office." Matsumoto cooed.

"That's MY office!" a highly irritated boy-taichou shouted.

Suddenly Matsumoto squeaked, "Oh!" she giggled, "Kira-kun you are such a _naughty _boy!"

Kira laughed and a few more squeaks, as well as other sounds, resounded from the blonde's throat.

Hitsugaya brought his hands to his temple; he did _not_ want to know what they were doing in _his_ office. Nevertheless, as a responsible captain he had duty to protect his property. Not to mention one can only take so much more of this torture.

So he snapped. "Goddammit you two!" he screamed, " I swear to god if you two do not get out of my office I'm going to-

"-Um," came a shy voice through his yelling. Hitsugaya froze instanly, and turned.

"H-hinamori-ch- kun" he stated, " I didn't realize you were there."

"That's okay, but why were you yelling at your door?"

"I-I wasn't yelling at my door, I was just, it's just that these two-" he reached out to tug at the door, to show that it was locked.

_Slt_

It opened easily. He peered in, the office was- or seemed to be- empty. He shut the door.

"Nevermind." He said bluntly. _Okay change of plans. First I kill Matsumoto and Kira, then I go after Kyouraku._

Hinamori blushed slightly, "Hitsugaya-kun, I was wondering f you would walk with me, for a bit?"

Outside he shrugged and said, "Sure." Inside the wheels were spinning in confusion.

They walked together for a while in silence. It was the first time Hitsugaya had spent any real time with Hinamori since he came out of his coma.

They walked along the outskirts of the shinigami buildings, to where they knew was a forest and a small green lake. It was a place often visited by shinigami students and their friends. At that time it was vacant. Not many people had a chance to relax these days.

One could suppose that the walk was romantic, in some ways. It probably would have been, if Hinamori had not been staring at her feet the entire time. At one time Hinamori did glanced at Hitsugaya's face, then back down. She remembered how it looked when he was unconscious, so slack that it was scary. Now he had the usual unamused scowl that she was used to seeing.

She realized suddenly that, whenever she looked at his face, she had no desire to think about Aizen, his attack and betrayal. Which was odd, since that was all she usually thought about nowadays.

They came to a rest at the foot of the lake. Hitsugaya leaned against a tree while Hinamori stood with her hands clasped in front of her.

Still neither of them spoke.

The constant silence was beginning to annoy the boy, so he decided to approach things…directly.

"Is there anything you want to talk about Hinamori?" he asked. Yes, he couldn't get anymore direct than that. Well, at least it wasn't small talk about the weather.

"Nice weather today isn't it?" Hinamori commented.

_Dammit, _he scowled. "What is it Hinamori."

Obviously there was no getting around this one. _Remember, you brought this upon yourself_, Hinamori reminded herself. So she decided to start out her talk with the least of her worries.

"Do you think, that I make a good captain?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Hitsugaya glared at her.

Dang, there really was no getting around it.

"Well," but Hinamori didn't back off, "It's just that Nanao-san said that you were against it and all so I was..."

"…"

She gave in.

"Why did you stop me from fighting Aizen?" she asked, and glared him the eye, "You knew that it was something I had to do. Why did you stop me?"

Hitsugaya looked away, arms folded across his chest, "Baka, you would have died if you fought him, is that what you wanted? To throw your life away at the hands of some sadistic bastard?"

"But," she began, Hitsugaya noticed that some tears started forming at the corner of her eyes. "I'm so weak, without him. I'm nothing. It would have been better if I had died back when he first stabbed me," she said almost bitterly.

Hitsugaya's scowl didn't let up,"What are you talking about Hinamori? Your not weak at all, you can totally kick Kira's sorry ass in sparring, I've seen you do it several times. Besides, you don't need that traitor, if anyone's weak, it's him, for not staying as the great captain you always saw him to be."

He meant to comfort her, but it only made her cry harder. She sat down through her tears, and, with great pains, Hitsugaya sat next to her, regretting whatever it was he said that made her cry so hard.

But it wasn't him she was crying about…or maybe it was. She couldn't let go of the fear she felt when Hitsugaya was conscious, and the loneliness that came with the fear. She thought it was bad when she lost Aizen. She felt as though she had been abandoned by the world, and everyone in it. She forgot that she had people there who cared for her as much as she thought that Aizen did. She didn't realize her mistake until Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Kira were all taken to the hospital.

She continued to cry as Hitsugaya, unsure of quite what to do, awkwardly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Hitsugaya… he had always been there for her, ever since her childhood days in Soul Society. He even came to the shinigami academy, for reasons, of which she was sure, had to do with her.

She tried to not pay a lot of attention to the fact that her childhood friend was still looking out for her, even as he excelled rapidly at the academy. As it was in his character to mask his emotions and intentions by an unnerving confidence, she never wanted to be mislead by what seemed to be brotherly affection.

Hitsugaya had grown to be a special confident of her own. Somewhere inside of her she knew that if something ever went wrong, that he would always be there for her. Therefore she was not afraid to move forward.

But then, later on as she grew stronger as a shinigami, it occurred to her that she shouldn't always be so dependent on someone else for strength. It was around that time that Hitsugaya had surpassed her in the shinigami rank and was on his way to captain. Of coarse, with his ever-so distant manner and maturity, along with his cocky attitude, he sometimes appeared to be 'too good' for, and uncaring towards Hinamori. She began to waver in her faith that he was very reliable. More proof that her conscience shouldn't depend on him so much.

Of course, it was only Hinamori who saw it that way. Hitsugaya figured that getting stronger, if anything, would make him even more reliable. Not only would himself and Hinamori be able to live their experience as shinigami, but he would be able to protect her no matter what. Plus he believed that knowing that you will always have someone you can count on could only be a good thing rather than a hindrance. He kept his distance, of course, as so not to impose on her, also he knew that there was a slight chance that she didn't want him around, even as a friend (but those doubts were of his own insecurities), not to mention that being captain was no free ride. It was_ hard_, despite how it may look to Matsumoto, on top of the fact that he was the youngest shinigami-taichou ever in the history of shinigami captains made it even harder for him. Hey, it wasn't his fault everyone else was stupid.

But then there was Aizen. A man whom Hitsugaya tended to be indifferent to, even after Hinamori began to show her affection towards him.

When she too, was rising up in shinigami rank, almost a lieutenant, she had begun to admire her captain more and more. He was a responsible man, very much aware of his rank and duty as a captain, much like Hitsugaya, but he was _sensitive_ too. Not like most of the men (and women coughsoifongcough) she had encountered in her experience as a shinigami.

Eventually, by following Aizen as his lieutenant, Hinamori was lead to believe that she was growing more as her own person, when she was really becoming even more dependent, this time on Aizen, rather than her childhood reliance.

Hitsugaya too saw that Hinamori was getting stronger and more confident, without him there. At first it bugged him slightly, but he never felt any hard feelings towards his fellow captain. He recognized his intelligence and valued his judgments as much as he would for any decent captain (decent meaning not Ichimaru, or probably the half-crazed Kenpachi and his wacky lieutenant). Though in all fairness, Aizen appeared to be a much more sensible adult than the other eleven captains. Plus Hinamori was greatly fond of him, so how bad could he be?

Unfortunately Hinamori became so found of him that she was completely enveloped in Aizen's scheme and easily persuaded that the one other person she had ever truly relied on would commit the worst sin she could imagine, which was to murder her precious Aizen.

Hitsugaya had never felt truly betrayed before in his life until that one moment Hinamori was determined to believe what was obviously a lie, and to attempt to kill him. It was only for a moment, however, because he knew that the grieving Hinamori-chan was being toyed with, although he believed it was the bastard Ichimaru who was truly toying with her, he would never forget what that one instant felt like. He even felt his first hard feelings towards the 'dead' Aizen, jealous that his childhood friend would choose to believe that man's 'fake' letter over himself and reason.

But at times, surprisingly, Hitsugaya can be a very forgivable person. He even forgives Matsumoto for her constant teasing and slacking off. Though, while at times he was ticked at Hinamori's obliviousness, he never held her mistakes against.

Even as he held the sobbing girl in his arms he didn't think anything of the times when she had chosen the traitor over himself. While he could never forgive Aizen for his crime, he knew that he would always be able to forgive Hinamori's for hers, when she needed to be forgiven.

After for what seemed like ten minutes or so Hinamori's tears began to dry and she felt a sudden wave of overwhelming fatigue, the kind one usually gets after a good grieving. She was so tired, in fact, that she didn't even fully comprehend that she was lying completely in her childhood friend's lap, cuddling up to the warmth from his chest.

Hitsugaya didn't mind, obviously, in fact he was quite content, as he attempted not to winced from the pressure on his sore stomach.

That sat there like that for a while, Hinamori dozing back and forth, with both of Hitsugaya's arms wrapped securely around her. At some point she as vaguely aware of Hitsugaya resting his head on hers.

She figured that it must have all been a dream. That her reality was that her friends had died in the attack and that it was Aizen's satan-like wrath that held her now. She could even see his sadistically smiling face as he held his arms out to her, sword in hand ready to penetrate through her body. So cold…

"Uwah!" Hinamori jerked awake, causing her companion to rouse up out of his momentary slumber as well.

What Hinamori felt was not coldness, but warmth; then it was Aizen's wrath that was a dream.

She relaxed her body, which involved tilting her head slightly, and finding herself staring straight into Hitsugaya's bright green orbs. It took them exactly ten seconds of staring at each other for the to realize their position that they were in.

Hinamori blushed hotly, "Ah! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as she tried to pull away.

Hitsugaya too was blushing and trying to pull away, however his attempt to suddenly stand up caused shots of pain to shoot up through his body. He fell back down on his butt, tripping Hinamori so that she too fell down – right on top of him…again.

"Ow ow ow ow ow," Hitsugaya cried out, the full force of the impact having terrible results on his stomach.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Fine, fine" he managed to croak out. He was completely on his back, suited with a full view of the cloudless sky above him.

Hinamori, still somewhat on top of him raised herself with her arms and looked him full in the face.

"Are you okay?" she asked again.

He didn't know what came over him; he stared at her, then cupped her face with his hand, gently playing with some of the strands of her hair, eyes never once leaving hers. She was so close to him that he couldn't resist at least touching her beautiful face. By now she probably thought that he had gone insane, and was too startled to freak and run away, or so his doubts told him, but he ignored them all the same.

_Please_, he prayed, _just let me have this one moment with her before someone else takes her away from me again._

He sat up slowly, one armed wrapped around her waist so she couldn't leave, not that she wanted to. Then her embrace her fully, hugging her as tightly as her could.

"Shi-shirou-kun?" she asked, not quite sure what was going on. Her protector had never acted this way before, even in his most affectionate moments. He really did care, more than she ever knew or cared to realize.

"Shirou-kun," she called again, this time with tears resuming in her eyes.

He let go of her and looked her directly in the face. "Baka," he said, and gently kissed her lips.

It was kinda stupid, but Hinamori was surprised nevertheless. Several thoughts ran through her head. Most of them were about how warm his lips were and about that weird feeling in her stomach. How long had this boy been in love with her?

Hitsugaya soon broke the kiss, he wasn't so much as nervous as he was taking in what he had just done. He had kissed Hinamori!

The female shinigami pulled back, blushing. Histugaya had kissed her!

"Shirou-kun," she repeated for the third time.

As if just then Hitsugaya regained his self-consciousness he blushed, even more than Hinamori, and shot straight up, ignoring the protests from his wounds.

"S-sorry," he said, still not believing what he did, "I should go."

He turned to leave – only to have Hinamori reach out and grab his hand. "Please don't go," her face reddened as she added quietly, "I don't want you to leave."

Hitsugaya, unable to resist the adorable look on her face, turned around, pressed her up against the tree, and kissed Hinamori again, this time much much more passionately.

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"Aren't they just adorable?" Matsumoto commented, peering around the tree she was hiding behind.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" asked Kira incredulously as he watched the two kids make out by the lake, "who would've the little punk could be so bold?"

Matsumoto gave a ha-ha, "Bold? I did tell you about the time he talked back to the first captain didn't I?"

She walked up behind the blonde-haired man.

"You know," she started, wrapping an arm around Kira's waist, "while this is really interesting and all, we really should be getting on to, other things. If you know what I mean." She said seductively, her other hand tracing along his neckbone.

Kira laughed, "You are so full of it Rangiku."

She let him go, "I know." And took his hand and led him away from the forest.

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The End.

Aha! I have finished! Ah ha ha ha ha! Finally!

Oh yeah, and for all you hitsu/hina lovers, keep an eye out for a bleach fic by angelicmayuka, she has a real good one coming out soon : )

Anyways plz review and goodnight.


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